FINAL REPORT - International Joint Commission

GLOSSARY OF TERMS
AVERAGE WATER LEVEL – The arithmetic average of all past observations (of water levels or flows) for
that month. The period of record used in this Study commences January 1900. This term is used
interchangeable with monthly-mean water level.
AWNED SEDGE – An endangered species in New York State that is known as Carex atherodes or sedge.
BARRIER BEACH – An offshore ridge of unconsolidated material (sand, pebbles, etc.) that runs parallel
to a coastline, is formed in part by high tides and acts as a natural barrier.
BASIN – The rounded depression of a lake bed.
BASIN (LAKE ONTARIO – ST. LAWRENCE RIVER) – The surface area contributing runoff to Lake Ontario
and the St. Lawrence River downstream to Trois Rivières, Quebec.
BASIN; WATERSHED – The region or area of which the surface waters and groundwater ultimately drain
into a particular course or body of water.
BATHYMETRY – The measurement and charting of water depths in large bodies of water; also information
derived from such measurements.
BEACH – The zone of unconsolidated material that extends landward from the average annual low water
level to either the place where there is marked change in material or physiographic form, the line of
permanent vegetation, or the high water mark.
BENEFICIAL CONSEQUENCE – Positive implication of fluctuating water levels for social, economic,
environmental or political investments.
BENTHOS - The plants and animals that live at the bottom of a body of water (ocean, river, lake, pond, etc.)
either attached or unattached to substrate (sediment, rock, plant, etc.).
BIOTA – All plants and animals living in a given area.
BIRD GUILD – 1. A group of birds that have similar breeding habits. 2. A group of birds, not necessarily
of the same species, that depend on the same environmental resources.
BLUFF – A steep bank or cliff or variable heights, composed of glacial tills and lacustrine deposits
consisting of clay, silt, gravel and boulders.
BOAT LAUNCHING RAMP – A sloping structure allowing small recreational water craft and trailers access
to water.
BOUNDARY WATERS TREATY OF 1909 – The agreement between the United States and Canada that
established principles and mechanisms for the resolution of disputes between the two countries
related to water. The International Joint Commission was created as a result of this treaty.
BREAKWATER – A barrier built offshore to protect a harbor or a beach from the force of waves.
BUFFER ZONE – The minimum amount of land needed between a structure and an eroding shoreline
before shoreline protection is needed.
CHART DATUM – The water level used to calculate the water depths that are shown on “navigation charts”
and are a reference point for harbour and channel dredging.
CLIMATE – The prevalent weather conditions of a given region (temperature, precipitation, windspeed,
atmospheric pressure, etc.) observed throughout the year and averaged over a number of years.
COAST – The land or zone adjoining a large body of water.
250 Options for Managing Lake Ontario and St. Lawrence River Water Levels and Flows